Last year just seven local field hockey teams qualified for the state tournament and five were eliminated in the first round. The lone Massachusetts team to get out of the first round was Chelmsford, which was defeated in the Division 1 North sectional semifinals.

The Lions lost some talent from the 2018 team, as well as The Sun’s Coach of the Year, Rebecca Gambale. She is now replaced by Susan D’Agostino, who previously coached Dracut for five seasons.

She will look to two-time Sun All-Star Claire Danahy to keep the winning traditions going.

Elsewhere in the MVC, Dracut, Lowell and Tewksbury should all be competitive. The Middies return junior forward Kiley Wilson and junior defender Andrea Gacek, Lowell has three key forward returners in Julia Sullivan, Lizzie Tighe and Niky Yrrizarry, and Tewksbury will have returning Sun All-Star Ryan Quinn and her 16 goals and 23 points back again.

In Central Mass., The Sun’s reigning Co-Player of the Year, Valerie Crory is back as one of the stronger players in the area. She has combined to score 52 goals and added 38 assists over the last two years. Groton-Dunstable has a dangerous scorer with Noelle St. Germain and Tyngsboro is coming off a state tournament appearance and hopes to get back there behind Mary Vincent and Madison Bovill.

North Middlesex won 10 games last year and will look to at least repeat that with forward Meghan McCarthy on a spark plug.
In New Hampshire, Pelham has been a force the last few years and despite moving up to D2, the Pythons again did exceptionally well, advancing to the semifinals. The team will look to Jessica Slaton, a returning NH Division 2 All-State Selection to lead the way.